Ashlyn Harris is finally breaking her silence on her much-talked about divorce from Ali Krieger.
In case you missed it, back in September, the 38-year-old retired soccer player filed for divorce from longtime love Ali. Ali, 39, recently completed her final season of professional soccer, and the divorce news came out right at the time of her retirement, which raised a lot of eyebrows with fans.
Soon after news broke that Ashlyn and Ali had gone their separate ways, Ashlyn began to be linked with Sophia Bush. This sparked cheating rumors, especially as reports came out that Ashlyn and Sophie began seeing each other soon after both separated from their respective partners.
Ashlyn has been getting a lot of online hate because of the headlines regarding her personal life. And on Saturday (November 18), she finally broke her silence and addressed her separation, explaining her side of the ordeal. She also slammed the online hate that has been directed her way.
In a six-slide post on Instagram, Ashlyn began by stating that her and Ali’s decision to end their marriage “was not made lightly.” She explained that “we agreed to center our children, continue therapy, separate, and to move forward with out lives.”
She claims that she and Ali had planned to keep their divorce private before Ali finished her finally season in the National Women’s Soccer League. However, a “leak” prevented that from happening.
Ashlyn then vehemently called out the “cheering on abuse, the people clamoring to encourage me to commit suicide, and the cruel words spoken about who I am as a mother.” She had more to say:
“The online hate that has happened since has been one of the most personally devastating experiences of my life.
I know that it is best practice in the world of online gossip ‘not to feed the beast. Don’t respond Don’t let them see you sweat.’ Just hide away until the tabloids and internet trolls decide to feast on someone else. For weeks, I have tried to take this advice. I have tried to let the fire burn out and what I experienced has devastated my mental health.”
And Ashlyn directly addressed the speculations that there was cheating involved:
“People have run with a narrative that’s unbearably painful. Not all marriages last forever. Ours did not. For many reasons. And while I understand that the false narratives about why might feel juicier or make a better headline, they are simply not true.
Let me be clear: I did not step out on my marriage. I was always faithful in my marriage, if not always totally happy.”
She declared that “none of this happened on a whim,” adding that she and Ali “spent the entire summer working to tackle the separation and divorce steps outlined for us by our therapists, lawyers, and our shared agency.”
The final slides of her post had Ashlyn making it clear that “my priority is, as it always has been, my kids.” She closed with these words:
“I share all this to remind people that bullying anyone about a personal decision, especially when that bullying is rooted in lies, really hurts. I’m hoping that instead of continuing this cruelty you can remember the simple truth that I’m a human being, a mom, and a good person just trying my best. I’d appreciate if you could take a breath and treat me and my family with some humanity.”
